You Can Let Go
by melody of elemia
Summary: Kaien/Rukia. Not really a pairing through. RP meme prompt. After all the fights, struggles, and hardships Rukia's been through, Kaien returns to her just to tell her one simple thing.


**AN**: Hey I'm back, and no sadly, it's not Hitsugaya/Rukia related (I'm working on that, I promise). RP meme prompt again. Just something general between Kaien and Rukia. Also, I suggest you listen to Backsteet Boys - You Can Let Go (LOL TITLE OF THIS STORY) before or during you read this. It'll help make this make a little more sense. Happy reading as usual kids.

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It wasn't that Rukia forgot about it. It would never come to something like that. She remembered him and always would. She would always travel back to that day in her dreams. That night, fighting against a hollow. It was nothing out of the ordinary. After all, she was a shinigami. But what happened that night was out of the ordinary.

No one expected the hollow to take him over, to transfer bodies.

She was young then. He trained her. Even though they had a 'teacher student' relationship so to speak, she looked up him. He was much more than that to her. But she never thought her captain would have to turn his blade against someone or something that wasn't a hollow. She never expected to point blade at him.

Shiba Kaien.

She couldn't even fight for herself. She wanted to save him. She did. She swore she did. But when he came at her, that one-second posed one choice.

Her life was more important than his.

Rukia's zanpaktou stayed in placed as Kaien drove himself into it. His blood splashed on her face as the hands around the hilt of her zanpaktou shook. Her tears mixed in with his blood, which the rain tried to wash away. Eyes were wide, solid, as if she had lost her own life.

An arm went around her; strong but gentle. Her eyes looked at its owner. What with little life he had left in him, he protected her, thanked her. But no, no, no, no, no! That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to save him. But now with the clock slowing down, she couldn't take back that decision to save her own life. As his hand slipped off her body, her arm went around him. Thanked her? Why? She was in no position to be thanked for taking someone's life.

Again, again it would replay. And when she thought she forgot… finally coped up with it, he came back. Not as a hollow, but now as an Arrancar.

This fight, instead of saving her life, she risked it. She put it all on the line. If help took a little longer, the life Kaien chose to save would be lost.

Now, this new fight, this new scene in her dream would be added. Rukia would cry out his name every night, the sweat would pour, and the tears would stream down. He was always with her and quite honestly; he couldn't stand to see her break down like this anymore.

This was no different than the other occurrences. The fights, the blood, the tears, the rain, snow, everything. Everything was no different than the other times until she didn't wake up. The dream went on.

"Rukia."

The background was dark, pitch black. She heard a voice, one of the familiar kind. She didn't have to question who that voice belonged to.

"K—Kaien… dono…"

Her mentor was here. She felt him, as if his reiatsu never disappeared from the world. But this world, right here and now, was so cold. The male came up from behind and placed his arms around Rukia's shoulders, pulling her into him. He rested his head on top of hers.

"You've been holding into this for quite some time now."

What exactly was she supposed to say to that? Rukia wanted to look up, but if she saw him with her own two violet eyes, she was afraid he'd disappear. She said nothing.

"You're trying to be strong around him. I know we look alike, but… Haha what am I saying? This isn't about him." The joking tone turned serious. "It's about me."

Rukia almost wanted to say that Ichigo had nothing to do with it, but she refrained.

"It's been a while since I've passed on. A long while and you've kept everything inside here." He placed a finger on her chest. Her heart. "You don't have to keep acting nothing's wrong. You can— "

"No!"

She knew exactly what he was going to say. If Rukia forgot what happened then those days then she would have to forget him. And there was no way; there just was no way she was going to do that. But it would have been nice to be without the nightmares.

"Hey, let me finish all right?" The male pulled away to tussle her hair. To be honest, he missed doing that. Rukia most definitely turned to him to give him a discontent look. Oh damn, she wasn't supposed to look at him! But… it seemed he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm not saying you have to forget about me. You said that I'm always with you, in your heart. Place's kinda nice and I'd rather stay there. But what happened that night and even what happened recently, it's getting to you. No, it HAS been. Rukia, I'm always going to be by your side. You've been slowly falling apart and it hurts to see that. I know I caused you a lot of pain and to force you into a decision you didn't want to make, but I'm glad you made that choice. You did save me that night and you saved me again when you fought that Arrancar. You did well Rukia and you always have.

It's all right." Kaien took her younger girl's hand and brushed it with his thumb softly.

Rukia looked up at him. She didn't feel the need to argue. She didn't feel the need to say anything. She trusted, believed in Kaien's words. The clock was ticking even now and his touch, his reiatsu was fading. If it were any other time, Rukia would go chasing after him, but now, she watched him fade. He smile as his lips moved, no sound releasing itself before he faded away and her hand dropped to her side. The girl nodded knowing there was truth his words and now her next night wouldn't be a sleepless one.

"You can let go."


End file.
